David L. Rousseau Named Dean of Rockefeller College at the University at Albany

ALBANY, N.Y. (February 6, 2013) – University at Albany President Robert J. Jones today announced the appointment of Professor David L. Rousseau Ph.D., as dean of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. Rousseau was chosen following a national search.

Rousseau joined the University in 2005, and since that time has served in various leadership roles including director of graduate studies, chair of the Department of Political Science, and the College’s interim dean since July 2011. Prior to arriving at the University at Albany, Professor Rousseau taught at Korea University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University at Buffalo (SUNY).

Rousseau received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan; a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

David L. Rousseau has been named dean of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. (Photo by Mark Schmidt)

"David is an outstanding scholar, teacher, and leader in the field of public affairs,” said President Jones. “I am confident he will provide excellent leadership for Rockefeller College as we seek to strengthen our programs in public affairs and policy and continue to prepare students for public service careers at all levels of government domestically, in the non-profit sector, and abroad.

As the dean of Rockefeller College, Rousseau will oversee more than 40 tenured and tenure-track faculty. He will also provide strategic guidance for the College’s 10 research centers and institutes which received $49 million in research and training funding during the past academic year.

Rousseau will build on the top-tier reputation of Rockefeller College, shaping its strategic growth. "I am excited to be given the opportunity to continue my work with an outstanding faculty to expand our academic offerings, increase international activities, deepen our community engagement, and support our innovative public affairs research," he said.

Rousseau’s research interests focus on military conflict, shared identity, political development, and foreign policy. His first book, which is entitled “Democracy and War: Institutions, Norms, and the Evolution of International Conflict” (Stanford University Press, 2005), examines the relationship between institutional structures and political norms within international disputes using statistical analyses, historical case studies, laboratory experiments, and computer simulations. His second book, “Identifying Threats and Threatening Identities: The Social Construction of Realism and Liberalism” (Stanford University Press, 2006), explores the impact of shared identity on threat perception. In addition to these volumes, Rousseau has published articles in the American Political Science Review,Journal of Conflict Resolution, and the Journal of Peace Research, and is completing a third monograph on the linkages of argument, evidence, theory, and policy in the social sciences.

Renowned for its research and public service, Rockefeller College is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top schools of public affairs and policy in the country. The college offers BA, MA, MPA and Ph.D. programs taught by nationally ranked faculty. These innovative academic offerings address key public policy issues encompassing information technology and e-Government, nonprofit studies, homeland security, public management, public finance, public law, and international relations.

Rockefeller College has a number of prominent national and international leaders among its alumni including John McHugh, United States Secretary of the Army; Ambassador Bonnie D. Jenkins, Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs; Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program; Christine Varney, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division for the Obama Administration and former Federal Trade Commissioner for the Clinton Administration; and Lawrence Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Reagan Administration.